puzzle of the day

This one is a tad harder for those who said they were too easy...

mural cam

I will be working on mural today. If you are able to log into my mural cam you can watch me start over from scratch!!! The home owner and I decided to move the ceiling lights to allow me to paint larger and without spacial constriction. Starting over is a lot of work but it is the best thing to do for the project. If you watch around 9:30 you can watch as I white out my original drawing!


http://68.194.9.52:99/main_activex.cgi

if you have trouble logging in you can try toggling some of the buttons regarding firewall and browser etc. some firewalls will not let you in at all.

after ingres

I drew this as a teenager, it was/is a copy of ingres. If you own it and have framed it I would love a copy of photo...

sketchbook page

This was a teenage sketchbook page I made when I worshiped Lautrec. I think this was lost by a client in a cab after she bought it...

sketchbook page

I have no idea who bought these and where they now reside...

select pieces

I decided to pick some pieces I made in the last six months and put them up for viewing again. I may sell prints of some of my favorites...

dali quotes

At the age of six I wanted to be a cook. At seven I wanted to be Napoleon. And my ambition has been growing steadily ever since.
Salvador Dali

Democratic societies are unfit for the publication of such thunderous revelations as I am in the habit of making.
Salvador Dali

Don't bother about being modern. Unfortunately it is the one thing that, whatever you do, you cannot avoid.
Salvador Dali

Drawing is the honesty of the art. There is no possibility of cheating. It is either good or bad.
Salvador Dali

Each morning when I awake, I experience again a supreme pleasure - that of being Salvador Dali.
Salvador Dali

Have no fear of perfection - you'll never reach it.
Salvador Dali

I do not paint a portrait to look like the subject, rather does the person grow to look like his portrait.
Salvador Dali

I don't do drugs. I am drugs.
Salvador Dali

I have Dalinian thought: the one thing the world will never have enough of is the outrageous.
Salvador Dali

I seated ugliness on my knee, and almost immediately grew tired of it.
Salvador Dali

In order to acquire a growing and lasting respect in society, it is a good thing, if you possess great talent, to give, early in your youth, a very hard kick to the right shin of the society that you love. After that, be a snob.
Salvador Dali

Instead of stubbornly attempting to use surrealism for purposes of subversion, it is necessary to try to make of surrealism something as solid, complete and classic as the works of museums.
Salvador Dali

Intelligence without ambition is a bird without wings.
Salvador Dali

It is good taste, and good taste alone, that possesses the power to sterilize and is always the first handicap to any creative functioning.
Salvador Dali

Let my enemies devour each other.
Salvador Dali

Liking money like I like it, is nothing less than mysticism. Money is a glory.
Salvador Dali

Mistakes are almost always of a sacred nature. Never try to correct them. On the contrary: rationalize them, understand them thoroughly. After that, it will be possible for you to sublimate them.
Salvador Dali

Painting is an infinitely minute part of my personality.
Salvador Dali

Progressive art can assist people to learn not only about the objective forces at work in the society in which they live, but also about the intensely social character of their interior lives. Ultimately, it can propel people toward social emancipation.
Salvador Dali

Surrealism is destructive, but it destroys only what it considers to be shackles limiting our vision.
Salvador Dali

Take me, I am the drug; take me, I am hallucinogenic.
Salvador Dali

The difference between false memories and true ones is the same as for jewels: it is always the false ones that look the most real, the most brilliant.
Salvador Dali

The first man to compare the cheeks of a young woman to a rose was obviously a poet; the first to repeat it was possibly an idiot.
Salvador Dali

The only difference between me and a madman is that I'm not mad.
Salvador Dali

The secret of my influence has always been that it remained secret.
Salvador Dali

The terrifying and edible beauty of Art Nouveau architecture.
Salvador Dali

The thermometer of success is merely the jealousy of the malcontents.
Salvador Dali

There are some days when I think I'm going to die from an overdose of satisfaction.
Salvador Dali

There is only one difference between a madman and me. The madman thinks he is sane. I know I am mad.
Salvador Dali

Those who do not want to imitate anything, produce nothing.
Salvador Dali

Wars have never hurt anybody except the people who die.
Salvador Dali

We are all hungry and thirsty for concrete images. Abstract art will have been good for one thing: to restore its exact virginity to figurative art.
Salvador Dali

What is a television apparatus to man, who has only to shut his eyes to see the most inaccessible regions of the seen and the never seen, who has only to imagine in order to pierce through walls and cause all the planetary Baghdads of his dreams to rise from the dust.
Salvador Dali

quote of the day/night

It takes a wise man to discover a wise man.
Diogenes

final brooklyn book cover

Here is the final Brooklyn book cover for Ambassador Publishing in NYC. I may make a tiny secret change but I had a meeting today and they are happy with the piece.

in the mail

A collector of mine sent me some photos of the work he bought and had framed. I really enjoy seeing my work framed and displayed correctly in someone's home and I get annoyed when I give family or friends artwork and it remains unframed ...I'll try to post more of his pictures up on my blog soon soon... These pictures are from left to right ( self portrait as a teenager, Ophelia print, dark self portrait as a teenager) A good frame is like a good conscience, both are a joy forever. If anyone wants to send me pictures of my framed work I would be grateful!

Thanks Donald!

mural cam

The mural cam is on as I think the wood worker is in wine cellar. When you click on link there are a few buttons that ask if you are behind a firewall etc. If you try clicking on a few combinations of those you should get access to the cam. Some people could not view it because the firewall did not let them in so that may help you. I will not be in there until tomorrow...



click here to view.

new puzzle

Okay, here is a harder one! Barry said they are too easy, this one is a bit harder. Here you go Barry. I may stop these soon, not sure, I just have them on my computer so they are something to look at when I am off in mural land or Brooklyn studio...

Puzzle Of The Day

Here is todays puzzle! It is medium in difficulty...actually, it is fairly easy...I will be in NYC and Brooklyn studio today as my neck needs a break from staring at ceiling and I will be back on mural tomorrow! Enjoy the crisp weather...

Brooklyn Day

Today I will be in Brooklyn working on some glass art and will be back tomorrow on mural cam.

mural cam

If you have a firewall you may not be able to view mural....Soon it will be on youtube so do not worry.

mural cam

the cam will not start (motion sensor) until I am in room so around 9:30 or a bit later you should be able to view the cam...I am just finishing drawing the battle to transfer to ceiling...

mural cam

if you scroll down two entries there is a link to watch me live on a video as I paint a mural on a ceiling.... starts around 9 or 9:30.

Gardega's Game

What phrase or symbol is this one? This is medium difficulty! Yesterday's answer was FREEZE FRAME If you click on the link on my previous entry you can watch me paint a mural on my "mural cam" Today I will be working on the centerpiece called the Battle of Anghiari (Google this as I am too busy to explain the piece) I had my own battle with the God's of Saki last night and so I am excited for eight hours of ceiling painting! (I am actually excited to paint the battle as it is a great piece of art to attempt.) I will be starting around 9:30 AM, so I will not be on cam much before that...The mural is in Brookville NY in wine cellar in a beautiful home...ramble on...

mural cam...

Here is the link to my mural cam! It is the video process of me painting my Da Vinci inspired mural. Eventually I will release it as a time lapse, You Tube Video--- for now you can see me breaking my neck as I work on a ceiling in real time (or at least one frame every five seconds...) If it is night it will be a dark image of nothing as I will not be there! You do not need to enter a password as you will be auto-logged in as a guest...

click here to link to mural real time video...

back to my mural...check in later.

gardega's game

Okay folks...I gave you too many easy ones, this one requires thought and grey matter! (Its not really that hard but it is harder than the early ones...)

mural

I will be painting my Da Vinci ceiling today. When I return home I should be able to set up a link to the time lapse video...

mural study

Here is a study made on parchment of the scroll work which will border my ceiling mural. The mural is roughly 16 foot by 4.5 foot. There will be lettering from Da Vinci's notebooks used a part of the design element as well. The center of the mural will feature the Battle Of Anghiari that Leonardo painted and only exists through the studies and sketches of his original by later artists...I only need to draw and design one set of scroll work as the same scroll will be used on both ends of the mural.


click here to buy

alex's obsessions

The brain of Gardega is obsessed and preoccupied with the following:


Dali

Horseshoe crabs

Leonardo

Sacred Geometry (especially the flower of life)

Religious art and iconography

Ammonia

Carl Jung

Gnomic spirals

the quantum concept of a holographic universe

angels

early Americana (coins and stamps)

mailboxes (especially rusted ones)

sacred crab

today alex made a horseshoe crab breakthrough which is pure Dalinian in its brilliance! Alex may speak to patent attorney first before posting!

puzzle of the day

This is a bit more difficult! If you are the first to email an answer you get a free sketch! The only catch is you have to mail me a self- addressed- stamped- envelope!

Ebay Today

I will try to get my ebay store going again today. I shared a bottle of wine with my framer yesterday evening and somehow wound up buying two hundred dollars worth of frames...

Time Lapse Camera

I prepped entire ceiling today. I will work on design this weekend and and resume work on Monday. I am very excited to share that the entire process of my Da Vinci mural will be filmed on time lapse video! I will either have a set up that enables you to view the process from a website or have a link direct to my blog. On the way home from mural I realized that I put my sketchpad and drawings in the back of my pick up so half of my Da Vinci studies took flight on the expressway and stuck to the grill of Mack truck behind me. I wonder what he thought we he stopped and pulled the drawings out of his grill and found that they were very detailed drawings of Leonardo....

update

Ceiling is all prepped for my Da Vinci mural...I will upload photos when I return in the early evening...Okay, time for a puzzle that will require some thought...

todays puzzle

Here is todays puzzle. I will be off painting my Da Vinci ceiling today. I will be making every effort to set up a time lapse video as well. I will be back this evening. This puzzle is another easy one, I do have some harder ones coming soon but I want you to get used to it first.

update

I have emailed my Brooklyn cover off for review. Tomorrow I start my Da Vinci ceiling mural that will soon be set up for Time lapse photography that can be viewed online. Tonight I will work most the night on my own work and maybe even upload some of it for viewing. I have sent a package/ letter today to a very important scientist regarding my next masterpiece. (I hope he accepts my proposal!

Brooklyn Bridge Book Cover

Here is the Brooklyn Bridge cover. I am sure there will be some changes to it as art directors enjoy making me change stuff! Anyone have any comments?

alexgardega@gmail.com

Brooklyn Progress

Here is my "in progress" Brooklyn bridge illustration..it is a combination of acrylic paint and photoshop. I think it a good start but it needs work....I will finish tonight...

another puzzle...

I decided the last one was too easy---here is one that is a few clicks harder...what is this word/phrase/ or saying?

todays puzzle

Here is todays puzzle!!

It is much easier than yesterdays! Can you figure out the meaning, word or phrase I am getting at here? (This one is a four on a ten scale of difficulty.)

email me if you get it!
alexgardega@gmail.com

brooklyn bridge --sneak peak

Here is a gimpse at my brooklyn bridge book cover I am painting. I do not want to reveal too much until it is closer to being something worthy of gardega!

thursday

Today is a brooklyn bridge day. I must finish the cover by today---hopefully. Will upload progress..

Today's Puzzle Answer!

CLOCKWISE!

the shadow of death

Death walks a lonely shore followed by a long and timeless shadow. I made this watercolor today as I was thinking about life and death. I think one true sin in life is not living while one is alive. Death is the yin to the yang of life, it is what gives life its flavor and its color and its meaning because you cannot have life without its compliment, death. There is no light without shadow and there is no cold without hot etc.. etc.. Life often seems like a long ride to a beach you'll never arrive at and when you finally arrive you realize you should have spent more time looking out the car windows enjoying the ride. Not the greatest metaphor but the point is made. The strange thing about this watercolor is if you closely at the top left you will see the sign for infinity which is marked into the watercolor paper by the maker of the paper...

"there are no accidents round here" peter gabriel

Answer to the puzzle will be posted at 5pm

in case you were stumped...you can email me for clues as well.

strange world---alone with the sky

lost my time lost my place in
sky blue
those two blue eyes light your face in
sky blue
i know how to fly, i know how to drown in
sky blue

warm wind blowing over the earth
sky blue
i sing through the land, the land sings through me
sky blue
reaching into the deepest shade of
sky blue

sky blue
so tired of all this traveling
so many miles away from home
i keep moving to be stable
free to wander, free to roam

train pulled out said my goodbyes
sky blue
back on the road alone with the sky
sky blue
theres a presence here no one denies
sky blue

sky blue

sky blue
so tired of all this traveling
so many miles away from home
i keep moving to be stable
free to wander, free to roam

i can hear the same voice calling
crying out, from my heart
and that cry, what a cry
what a cry, its going to be
if i can stop to let it out, oh

www.gardega.com

tonight I will be working on my main website and uploading new art and pulling out the old...

strange world---solstice

A quiet peace before departure.

Strange World----western dream

Some call it heavenly in it's brilliance
Others, mean and ruthful of the Western dream
I love the friends I have gathered together on this thin raft
We have constructed pyramids in honor of our escaping
This is the land where the Pharaoh died


jim morrison

Mural update

I start my Da Vinci mural on Friday and I am looking forward to painting a ceiling...We are trying to set up a time lapse video of entire mural process which will be a first for me....

change

I will not be in brooklyn today, I will be in tomorrow. Today I will paint the Brooklyn bridge and and upload progess..

einstein

Albert Einstein - "Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one."

ebay store

I will set up my ebay store again tomorrow...let it go for so long...

DAILY DALI

When Dali was a child in Spain he was deathly afraid of grasshoppers! Anyone aware of his work will notice the use of grasshoppers in many of his paintings. He eventual went on to name himself "The Grasshopper Child." This is my surrealist Dali fact of the day...

Brooklyn

I am going to stop painting my brooklyn bridge and drive to the real thing as I have to do some glass art today! It felt odd not to have the Last supper looming over me in my living room yesterday, I felt lost...

alex

Gardega's Game

Here is a little game for my faithful followers. There are two images (symbols) that form a word or phrase I have made a lot of these and this one is a bit difficult, I should have started with a simpler one but I have faith in my readers! You will know when you have the right word trust me... email me right answer at alexgardega@gmail.com. Maybe I will send a free gift. IT IS NOT NIGHT OWL!

Here is the final photo! I may do some slight touch-ups but at some point you have to put a painting into a coffin or a bed and move on. Gardega gives himself an A for concept, an A for effort and a B- for execution. Gardega would have preferred three months of uninterrupted work on this piece but he is on many projects and he is happy with 32 square foot work of Genius.

The oldest living animal

Scientists recently found a living clam that is estimated to be over four hundred years old. They are certain that there are clams alive that are well over 600 years old , This means there were clams alive when Leonardo drew his first breath that are still alive today.

Great Website

I found a great website that lets you zoom around the original last supper mural (and it is high resolution so you can really get a nice view.)


click here

Tuesday

Woke up at 2:30 Am to go running and then finish my painting before daybreak. I need to start my brooklyn book cover which I have been avoiding...The good thing about running at 3 AM is that the high school track is pretty empty and the stars are pretty bright...

last supper...

I have only to add some detailing tonight and I can call this work finished! I estimate I spent 200 hours on this work. I find the final details and oil glazes to be the most fun, the cherry on the sundae, so to speak. I will work on the table top a bit and add few glazes on the face- shadows etc. ,then I can have my window back and let light in my place again. It has been a journey and as best I can tell will end/ begin with news coverage. I may add some oysters to table tonight as well...

clouds over a mall

I would rather have a root canal drilled than go to a shopping mall. Recently, I had to visit a mall to buy some clothes that don't have paint all over them. As I was leaving the mall I turned to see the these clouds rising majestically over the suburban sprawl. Photography is occasional good for something.

Happy Monday

Heading into Brooklyn to make glass art today. Update when I return....

Growing up (looking for a place to live)

watercolor 10" X 10". click to here to buy.

folded in your fleshy purse
i am floating once again
while the muted sounds are pumping rhythm
all the walls close in on me
pressure's building wave on wave
till the water breaks - and outside i go, oh

one dot, that's on or off, defines what is and what is not, one dot
two dot, a pair of eyes, a voice, a touch, complete surprise, two dot
growing up, growing up,
looking for a place to live
growing up, growing up,
gooking for a place to live
growing up, growing up,
looking for a place to live

my ghost likes to travel so far in the unknown
my ghost likes to travel so deep into your space

three dot, a trinity, a way to map the universe,
three dot
four dot, is what will make a square, a bed to build on, it's all there,
four dot

my ghost likes to travel so far in the unknown
my ghost likes to travel so deep into your space

all the slow clouds pass us by

make the Empire State look high
as you take me in your sea-stained sweetness
it spills, it tingles and it stings
all the pleasure that it brings
till the door has let the outside inside here

well on the floor there's a long wooden table
on the table there's an open book
on the page there's a detailed drawing
and on the drawing is the name i took

my ghost likes to travel so far in the unknown
my ghost likes to travel so deep into your space

growing up, growing up,
looking for a place to live
growing up, growing up,
looking for a place to live
growing up, growing up,
looking for a place to live
growing up, growing up,
looking for a place to live

my ghost likes to travel
my ghost likes to travel
moving inside of your space
my ghost likes to travel
my ghost likes to travel
moving inside of your space
my ghost likes to travel
moving inside
my ghost likes to travel
moving Inside of your space
my ghost likes to travel
moving inside
my ghost likes to travel
moving inside of your space

the breathing stops, i don't know when
in transition once again
such a struggle getting through these changes
and it all seems so absurd
to be flying like a bird
when i do not feel i've really landed here.

Vonnegut Prints

I made this months before Mr. Vonnegut died, I have a weird habit of getting into certain images right before something happens regarding the subject matter. I started painting American flags the year before Sept 11th happened then I threw them away because all I saw everywhere were flags post 911. Anyways, this is an image I like a lot. I gave my brother the original for his birthday an I am sure it is unframed and has macaroni on it. I am selling signed original prints of this in a limited edition of 100. I will link to ebay later...

The Sacred Crab

Here is print of my sacred crab painting. I will sell a limited edition of 50 of these these on Ebay for $25.00 each. I will link later..

sunday update

Today Alex will finish the last supper!!! It was a long and difficult meal to prepare and now the intellectual feast will be done by nightfall! After I finish the painting I will begin the first step on my Brooklyn Book cover which will entail my fifth painting of the glorious Brooklyn Bridge. I am going to load up some high quality, fairly affordable, prints today for sale of some of my choicest pieces..

Mural study for ceiling

Here is my very first sketch for a ceiling I am painting in a clients wine cellar. He has great taste in choosing Da Vinci and also understanding the idea of using Da Vinci sketches as a mural subject as opposed to finished paintings. I personally believe he has chosen the right man for the job as I am fanatical in my devotion to Leonardo! The only way to get to the final product is with a first step and that is what the sketch represents. I begin painting this mural on NOV 3rd. The centerpiece of the mural is the Battle of anghiari that I have posted on here previously.

almost finished

I am almost done with my Moby Dick. This piece will most likely featured on national TV very soon. It is then that I will announce my next project of genius that will gain international attention and turn the art world on its heels with wonder. I only need a day more of details and monday will be ready for varnish.

the green of jealousy

Jealousy is the green hobgoblin of lesser minds. Genius will always encounter great resistance and the battle is always fought uphill. Genius cannot stoop to jealousy nor waste its valuable sacred energy in defense of itself. It is enough just to "know." Enemies and friends alike will indulge in the deadly sin whose complimentary color is the color red. Gardega is not capable of jealousy and wishes well to all... He will now let thy reader know about the COLOR SCALE and complimentary colors.

Lesson one!!! If thou mixes the foul green of jealousy with the red of glorious victory thy children will be grey and shriveled like the skin on the dying man. This is called complimentary colors (colors that fall directly across the color wheel from each other) It is interesting that jealously very rarely involves compliments and the red of victory is the polar opposite of the small-color of said hobgoblin.

saturday

I had a few biz meetings in NYC yesterday, I was thinking about meeting a few clients/ friends after but I was exhausted and took an early train home. Today I will finish my last supper as far as the figures go and tomorrow I will work on final details. I must start a Brooklyn Bridge book cover on Sunday. Today I have my meeting to finalize the beginning of my Da Vinci ceiling mural as well which begins on Nov. 3. I will update images today as well. I am gettingback my original book cover paintings so I will be putting all of them up for sale...I guess there is about thirty of them by now...

Da Vinci Mural

I just got a go ahead on a commission to paint a ceiling of a wine cellar with a Da Vinci mural. I was a bit hesitant to take it on before Miami as I have a lot of glass art to make before I go but I will find a way to get it all done. Whenever I get overwhelmed I put in my michelangelo DVD and see what he accomplished in a given month and realize you can get a lot more done than you think when you really push yourself! I will photograph mural as it unfolds. The centerpiece of the mural will be the "Battle Of Anghiari ." It is a lost mural of Leonardo's that exists only in copies. This copy is by rubens.

last supper

Going to brooklyn today to make glass carvings. I am almost done with this piece. I need to flesh out the last two figures on right and then do five hours of detailing then I can break out the ole varnish and put this one to sleep before she is exposed to the harsh light of public media scrutiny.

Live

I hope you can see the latest addition to the painting in the upper left! While I was doing my nightly homework--watching, sketching and analyzing the the anchors on the news. I realized my painting was missing something--- then a vision scrolled ever so beautifully across the top left of my TV and quickly went away again! It was most important that Gardega break the picture plane into a new paradigm. In turn I was also thinking of what else I could put on the table and then I noticed my oranges down below on window sill---kismet.

Woman with helmet

I have my miami ticket and dates so I am excited to escape the studio for the first time in over a year. I am selling off a lot of work to help fund my trip so I don't have to go chase down a commercial project that will interfere with my fine art. This is a study for a glass piece I will carve next week. Iam selling this for $75.00 if anyone wants it, the original glass piece I make from this will sell for around $5,000.00 but it will have to be framed and illuminated etc. It is about 2 foot by three foot high...you can just email me to secure it as I am trying to do less ebay because I pay thousands in fees to them...It is pencil on white paper (not cream) and is a part of my Ophelia suite.

alexgardega@gmail.com

Miami

I will be in miami for art basel from the 4th to the 11th if anyone in florida wishes to meet up or come to opening email me...alexgardega@gmail.com

the new apsotles update

Here is the latest version of my "media" painting. I don't think I will post anymore pics of it until it is all finished. (I am hoping that will be tonight sometime.) There are always a million things I would like to do differently if I had six months to work on such a large piece but sometimes you have to get things done in time frames and you kneel worship at the alter of deadlines. Sometimes deadlines bring out good things as well. Behind the painting is my main living room window so this painting has blocked my light for a month and has in a sense become my window. Soon this painting will be beamed via media into millions of homes which is one of the purposes I painted it for, I will explain that when the time comes. . Begin with the end in mind. (my favorite saying)

Last Supper

Today I am finishing my last supper painting if I have to work 18 hours to do so. I will load some art for sale as well as I need to fund my trip to miami and I have been too busy to sell anything lately. I was contacted by producer last night so it seems I will still be on the news soon.

New Ophelia

Here is the piece I carved today. I almost don't want to post this because I took such a bad photo of her. She is actually the best piece I have made in glass, ever, I will re-shoot asap.

Necklace Detail---ophelia

Here is the necklace detail of the Ophelia I etched today. Please excuse the horrible snapshot...This necklace is about 4 inches across..

update

Today I will be etching my new Ophelia in Brooklyn. I hope to finish her and have a photograph this evening.

ophelia-

Ophelia is a character from Shakespeare's Hamlet, she is a young noblewoman and Hamlet's sweetheart. When she is rejected by Hamlet she goes mad and eventually winds up a suicide by drowning. Lesser artist's than Gardega have portrayed Ophelia at the apex moment of her drowning after she has "fallen" from a willow tree. Gardega has decided to present her as a straight forward portrait of melancholy and loss and madness as she stares straight out to confront the viewer. I must admit that when I first made her I was in a terrible state over a woman and simply made a portrait of her (my girl) in glass. I named it Ophelia as I did not want to name it after the girl. At the time I was not aware of the story behind Ophelia or even that she was a character of Shakespeare's Hamlet. I also did not know about Ophelia's association with flowers as I etched the flower medallion necklace on her. I have come to believe I don't think I named her Ophelia by accident, I think life is not stranger than we think, it is stranger than we can think.

books

Here is a photo of my bookshelf. Whenever I go into a persons home I secretly try to see what books they have around or on shelves. Books are meant to be read and thoroughly used so most of my books have paint on them and and are pretty dog eared. I never cared much for showy possessions or felt I needed to impress anyone with sports cars etc. I just need a good pick up a, bunch of art supplies and a damn decent selection of books--- and maybe some Heineken. (Most of my beloved books are in storage as I move often.)

air compressor

I thought I would give a glimpse into the glass studio and the equipment it takes to make glass art. This is a serious air compressor that is crucial because without enough air you will have more headaches than I can mention and want to smash your project in frustration. I spent over half my professional life with cheaper compressors that never gave enough air flow (which is probably why I will die young from stress. ) As you can see my glass studio is not a comfy/ cozy place with cappuccino machines and cute secretaries, I guess in a way I like the challenge of trying to make beauty and art in a dirty Brooklyn warehouse.

ophelia in progress

Here is how I layout my glass pieces. What you are looking out is a piece of glass that is 3/8ths thick and 16 x 20 inches. I have covered it with a thick rubber and drawn my design on the rubber material. I then cut it out by hand. I could use a computer at this stage but that is where the line is drawn between art and soulless digital machine. I get annoyed by people who swear by computers because there is no heart in bits ands bytes. I would save myself hours and days of work by going digital but I believe people know the difference subconsciously. Anyways, I pull off the rubber in layers and sandblast the exposed areas (deepest first.) If I screw up or scratch it it all goes in garbage with my time. If you click on image it should get bigger so you can see the flower of life medallion I just drafted.

flower of life

This is one of my favorite pieces of geometric construction. This has been used throughout time by many different cultures who have been drawn to its harmony and timeless perfection. There are many who believe that all the knowledge of mankind can be found in it's geometry. I am carving it tomorrow as Ophelia's necklace. I could never figure out the perfect medallion for her necklace and then this magically appeared to me. I am trying to make ophelia as timeless as possible so I cannot do better than this (or perhaps the yin yang symbol.) The yin yang is much easier to carve so I will carve this one as I prefer to suffer. The flower of life has been found in the following cultures--

• Egypt - The Temple of Osiris in Abydos^{[13][14][15][16][17]} and at Mount Sinai.^[18]
• Hungary - Magyarország - Carphatians. The center of Europe - The heart of our planet.^[19]
• Israel - Masada^[20]
• China - The Forbidden City^[21] and various temples.^[22]
• Japan - Various temples.^[23]
• India^[24] - The Harimandir Sahib (Golden Temple), Hampi, and the temples at Ajanta.^[25]
• Turkey - Various old Roman sites.^[26]
• Spain^[27][28]
• Austria^[29]
• Italy - Italian art from the 13th century (Wolfram 2002, p. 43).^[30]
• North Africa - Morocco^[31]
• Middle East - Lebanon and various Islamic mosques.^[32]
• South America - Peru^[33]
• North America - Mexico^[34]

my email

alexgardega@gmail.com

I sometimes wonder if people can read the email on top of site...

comments

I am always happy when I log in and find a comment from my old assistant Jacqueline who is back at college. It is much better than the anonymous person who makes fun of my grammar!

Ophelia

I managed to layout four Ophelia glass pieces today. (Shown is the original Ophelia that hangs at my parents house.) I am making a run of 16 x 20 glass pieces that I call the Ophelia Suite. I am only going to alter small things on each piece such as the necklace. They will be like prints except carved in glass and each one executed by hand. I used to sell these for around $3,600.00 in galleries but now I am going to ask for $5,000.00. I think I will make a maximum of 25 Ophelia's then sell the original drawing. Glass is a timeless medium so I like to try to achieve a timeless image. I will also keep selling archival prints of the piece (not glass) as well. They are $100.00 now...

platonic solids

these are wooden versions of the Platonic Solids. I always loved to read plato and still read "the cave" when I am in the right mood. Ithink the trick with high school is to hate it so much that you hide in your own learning. High school makes every effort to take away a man's interest in books or learning. I will feed more info on these later as I am tired tonight. you can google platonic solids if you wish! Da Vinci did many nice drawings of these solids as well...I will elaborate soon.